Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates generally to server systems and, more particularly, to cooling in server systems.
Description of the Related Art
Thermal management is a key criterion for effective data center operation. Conventional approaches rely primarily on forced air flow to evacuate heat from servers. However, server systems typically utilize a backplane structure that is oriented orthogonal to the circuit boards needing cooling, and thus impedes the flow of air over the circuit boards. To compensate, high-power fans may be used, but such devices substantially increase the energy consumption of the server system. In light of these deficiencies, some server systems implement water cooling, either in the form of water-cooled doors at the front or back of the server rack, or water cooling pipes run directly to the circuit boards in the server rack. The water-cooled doors, however, suffer from the same issue with air impedance through the backplane. Direct water-cooling also is problematic in that it introduces the risk of leaks on components highly sensitive to water.